Rise In the Morning Sun
by Queen Dagger
Summary: Cremia is a beautiful young woman who runs Romani Ranch. She often smiles and acts friendly to everyone, so nobody knows that she conceals her sadness over loss, loneliness, and heartbreak. Will anyone reach out,help her heal and attain true happiness?
1. Chapter 1

A Little Note- I recently began playing Zelda: Majora's Mask after years of it being buried in the depths of my closet. A character that really intrigued me was Cremia, the young woman who works diligently at Romani Ranch. I could not find any fanfictions about her, so I decided to write one.

I came up with the title with my misinterpretation of the beginning lyrics to the song "How Deep is Your Love", by the Bee Gees. I had thought it was "When you rise in the morning sun", but it is actually "I know your eyes in the morning sun" (don't laugh at me! It's a easy mistake!...kind of! xP). Anyways, I loved the sound of what I originally thought it was so much that I decided to use it for the title.

And ok ok heres the disclaimer: I do not own the characters that shall mentioned in this fanfiction, they belong to Nintendo.

Rise in the Morning Sun

Chapter 1: Secret Sorrows

It is often over a cup of coffee that one can contemplate the shortcomings of his life, and try to recognize where he had gone wrong while he had embarked on the earlier parts of his journey.

Cremia is in such a state this early Saturday morning, sitting at a wooden dining table with a mug of black coffee in hand. Its searing heat seems to represent the pain she had felt when she had encountered sadness, disappointment, and heartbreak in the past.

She takes a very slow and cautious sip, yet she still manages to singe her lip, causing small tears to emerge from her eyes.

Alarmed, she quickly places the glass mug upon the wooden tabletop and wipes away the droplets, but it is already too late. The small presence of tears spurns a sudden chain reaction that causes Cremia to erupt into heavy sobs that she had kept pent up for the longest time. As diamond colored tears pour down upon her white blouse, Cremia glimpses flashbacks of random moments of her life…

She sees her father again, with his crooked smile and his gentle hands that seemed capable of protecting her from any of the world's dangers…She revisits the moment of his death, where those very same hands had clung onto her own as he lay in a bed, smiling weakly and asking Cremia to please look after the ranch and her younger sister Romani.

Next, the image of her father dissipates and the memory of a young boy replaces him. The boy stands smiling down at Cremia, offering out his hand to her after she was tripped by a group of jeering youngsters. She sees herself accepting his chivalrous hand, and hears him introducing himself as Kafei after hoisting her upright. Cremia watches as her affections towards the kind boy grow and intensify as he gradually grows into a handsome man. She almost smiles as she remembers his acceptance of her, and his return of infatuation. She relives his tender touches, his soft kisses, his heartfelt words of love…

Yet then all too soon she witnesses the sudden heartbreak, of Kafei confessing that he still had feelings for Anju, his old love and Cremia's very own best friend. Cremia weeps even more deeply as she reminisces it all. She sees Kafei as he apologizes repeatedly with tears streaming down his face. She sees herself sprawled on the ground, embracing his ankles, begging him to not leave her…She revisits the moment where she saw Kafei and Anju walk hand-in-hand in the rain after rekindling their love. She experiences the same stab of agony upon the horrid scene, and feels just as worthless and alone as she had on that day… The wound deepens when she again sees her best friend Anju, unaware of Cremia and Kafei's past affair, excitingly inviting Cremia to her and Kafei's wedding…

"No…" Cremia whimpers, wiping her wet face. "Don't think about it. It will only hurt you…Don't think about it…"

But such a goal is impossible for Cremia to attain. How can she possibly not think of someone she had cared deeply about? How can she possibly forget him, when he was one of the first people in her life that expressed kindness to her? How can she possibly forget the immense heartbreak he inflicted upon her, when she knew that he was the one person who would have granted her the greatest possible happiness?

Dear reader, if you have experienced heartbreak or rejection by love, then you know that it is impossible to completely forget such a negative experience. Even when you think you have moved on, a small reminiscence shall emerge, and for a moment, you will again experience that feeling of pain, the immense shock, the unbearable sorrow, the tight tug of your heart…

Cremia's mourning is suddenly interrupted by the sharp piercing sound of a cuckoo bird's cry. "CUCKOOOOOOOO!" It screams, in its shrill voice.

She jumps from the sudden noise, immediately realizing that it signifies the awakening of her younger sister, Romani.

"I can't let her see me like this!" She gasps, jumping to her feet and scrubbing at her eyes furiously.

She scrambles around the kitchen, preparing for her younger's sister arrival. While still attempting to wipe away her tears, she grabs plates and silverware, laying them out upon the dining table for the early morning breakfast routine.

'Please, don't let her know that I've been crying!' She silently prays to herself.

"Goooooooooood Morning!" Romani greets her gleefully; fully awake and bounding down the stairs in her pajamas and slippers.

Romani, as a true sister of Cremia, strongly resembles her elder sister when Cremia was her age, with her long, dark red hair and her cute chubby face. Yet Romani possesses something that Cremia never quite had, and that is an ongoing optimism in the world around her. Maybe Cremia did have that quality in one point in her life, but it definitely dissolved upon the death of their father and her appointment as head of the entire family ranch.

"Good morning Romani! Did you sleep well?" Cremia greets her back, attempting a smile.

Romani hops upon a wooden chair and giggles. "Oh yes! I dreamt about magical unicorns and handsome princes!"

Cremia cannot help but smile upon Romani's child innocence. "Probably because of that fairy tale we read last night."

Romani chuckles again upon the memory, and slightly blushes. "Yes, probably."

Cremia laughs softly and ruffles her sister's hair. "I'm only teasing you of course."

Romani giggles again, feeling relieved.

Smiling weakly, Cremia picks up her coffee mug and heads toward the stove to begin preparing their morning meal.

"You've got your coffee I see." Romani beams. "Just like every morning!"

"Yep," Cremia replies, choking down a few tears. She slowly sips from the dark beverage. 'Another coffee.' She thinks to herself. 'Another day…'

END

Not that much I know, but I just wanted to try it out and see what people thought-if anyone reads it that is! xP

But….If anyone DOES read it…. What did you think?! :D Are you interested in reading more? Please review! If you did not like it, just simply tell me; please refrain from screaming and swearing…

Anyways, hope you have a jolly January! :D


	2. Warm Home on a Stormy Night

_**Thank you SO much to those that have reviewed the first chapter-it means A LOT to me! =D **_

_**Chapter 2 begins now! I really hope you guys will like it!**_

_**Warm Home on a Stormy Night**_

While the blueberry pancake batter sizzles on the black frying pan sitting atop of the stove, Cremia studies the texture of her hands.

According to her father, Cremia was given her name for her soft pale skin that her mother adored.

Cremia smiles, as she imagines the day her name was declared.

_An hour after enduring childbirth, her mother lays in bed, holding her healthy baby girl against her chest. _

_Her mother is a lovely middle-aged woman, with a cordial and friendly countenance and long chestnut brown hair that is perhaps a bit frazzled from the earlier procedure. She beams down at her newborn child, and exclaims: "Why! Such lovely skin she has!" She gently caresses the baby's hands, which were pale and seemed to glow with a smooth illuminant sheen. "Never before have I seen a child with such soft and beautiful skin!" She looks up at her husband standing nearby and grins giddily. "I simply MUST give her a name for it!"_

_Her husband chuckles, totally entranced by her childlike excitement._

_The new mother puts her finger against her chin and begins to think pensively out loud. "Hmm…Butter?! HA! Goodness no! Umm…Buttercup?!...No…Cute, but not enough…Um…Pearl?!" Her citing of random names continues for a few minutes, until… "No…Erm…Creamy?...Creamia?! CREAMIA! THAT'S IT! CREAMIA!" She shrieks in triumph. _

_The medical people within the room glance at each other, no doubt wondering if the early procedure and the doses of medication made her a bit loony. _

_Cremia's father; however, is totally oblivious to their suspicions, as he chuckles in delight of his wife, completely willing to agree to whatever she desired._

_As for Cremia's mother, she felt completely overjoyed and accomplished; absolutely nothing could ruin her happiness, not even the doctor when he rudely suggested that they should "perhaps leave out the first 'a' and spell it C-R-E-M-I-A." Cremia's mother willingly complied to the suggestion, eager to return home with her dear husband and her new baby._

Cremia smiles to herself. She remembers that as she grew, her father would always gently clasp her small pale and smooth hands, kiss them softly, and tell her: "The most loveliest hands in all of Termina. I could hold them all day."

She looks down at her hands now. They have long lost their former delicate and soft features, with their red and slightly calloused surfaces derived from years of stress and hard work.

Cremia sighs upon the sight of them. 'Who would want to hold them now?' She thinks gloomily.

"**SIS!**" Romani suddenly screams from behind her. "The pancakes!"

Cremia jumps, and looks up at the small inferno beginning to accumulate beneath the flapjack.

"OH FUCK!" She cries in surprise, snatching a nearby spatula. She quickly scoops up the burned pancake and flips it onto its other side. It immediately emits a hissing sound, as it begins to cool down.

"Phew!" Cremia sighs in relief. She puts down the spatula and looks over at Romani. "That was a close one, wasn't it Romani? Thanks for warning me!"

Romani does not reply. Instead, she gapes at Cremia, her blue eyes widened in immense shock.

"Don't worry," Cremia chuckles. "You won't get this one. I'll give it to Scottie."

Romani's look of surprise does not falter.

"What?" Cremia asks, growing concerned. Suddenly, she realizes it. She said THE WORD. The horrible F Word. IN FRONT OF ROMANI!

"Oh god," she gasps. "R-Ro-Romani. I am so sorry. That is a very very bad word. I should not have said it. Please forgive me. It is a terrible word. Never ever say it. Just forget that I ever did, ok? Please?"

Slowly, Romani closes her mouth and nods, her eyes still looking startled.

An awkward moment of silence ensues, until the pancake begins to sizzle again. This time, Cremia succeeds in rescuing it before severe damage, and drops the pancake onto a plate.

She sighs upon the sight of it, with the one side coal black and the other golden brown.

"Where is Scottie?" Romani asks, eyeing the scorched pancake.

"I let him outside so he could relieve himself," Cremia tells her. She smiles weakly at her younger sister. "But he's probably done by now. Would you like to let him in and give him this?"

Romani beams and giggles excitedly. "Sure!"

"Okay!" Cremia grins back at her. "We'll have to wait until this cools off a bit before we give it to him though. After all, we don't want him to burn his tongue! But you can still let him in now. He'll just have to wait for a bit."

"Alright!" Romani squeaks, hopping off of her chair. Smiling widely again, she proceeds towards the doorway.

Cremia laughs to herself, relieved that the earlier incident has been forgotten. She pours batter onto the frying pan to begin making another pancake.

'I can't believe that I said that…'She thought to herself in astonishment. 'Never again! I can never EVER say that in front of her again!' Upon this declaration she looks over at Romani. By now Romani has opened the door, and their little dog Scottie immediately leaps inside. His paws outstretched, he slams into Romani, who collapses from the sudden weight.

"Whoa!" She cries, amidst amused laughter. Scottie begins to bombard her face with happy welcome licks. "Sc-Scottie! Haha! Hey stop!" She pleads, trying to ward off Scottie's displays of affection.

"Scottie?! SCOTTIE!" Cremia calls to him with an authoritative voice. She claps her hands, which immediately causes him to leap off of Romani and come barreling towards her direction.

Cremia braces herself. "Whoo boy! No, no no! Easy, easy, easy…" She holds out her arms and gently cajoles him.

Her soothing voice calms him, as he stops, and slowly sits about a foot in front of Cremia. He smiles up at her.

"Good boy," she coos. She looks over at Romani. "You ok over there?"

Romani, standing back up on her two feet, gives her elder sister a reassuring smile and says: "Yeah! I'm fine." She brushes off a bit of dirt from her skirt.

Cremia looks back at the small dog.

"Hey there Scottie!" Cremia calls to him adoringly. He immediately perks up, his smile widening. "Why do you have to be so hyper? Huh?" He cocks his head to the side in questioning. "You knocked Romani right over! You can't do that!" She scolds him playfully. His smile fades and he lowers his eyes in guilt. Cremia cannot help but laugh. Never in her life had she encountered a dog that could comprehend English as well as Scottie.

Scottie, as his name heavily implied, is a Scottie dog, with grey fur slightly mangled from his frequent outside adventures. With his gentle black eyes, he could easily warm anyone's heart.

Cremia smiles, and as she scoops the pancake onto its opposite side she recalls the day they took him in as their own.

_Heavy rain droplets pelt down onto Cremia and her father as they attempt to lead the flock of startled cows into the barn. The roaring dark sky above constantly sneezes powerful gusts of wind onto the inhabitants below, making the process quite tedious._

_The squalls slam into Cremia with incredible force, yet the young girl still strives on in completing her task, diligently herding the large animals towards their safehold .She sighs in relief when the last cow reluctantly steps inside._

"_Well," Says her father, smiling in triumph. Cremia can only slightly hear him amidst the roaring of the impending lightning. "That's the last of them! We did it!"_

_Cremia smiles weakly upon these words, very much anticipating the comforts of their warm home._

_The two proceed towards the entrance. Cremia steps outside and waits for her father, as he begins to seal the wooden barn door. He slides it halfway when he looks up, pauses for a moment, and suddenly chuckles: "Well would you look at that!"_

_Cremia follows his eyes' gaze towards a dried bush behind her. Underneath the assortment of tangled twigs, lays an animal of some kind, its fur completely drenched from the rain. Its eyes stare right back at Cremia, gleaming with immense fear. _

"_What is that?" Cremia asks, somewhat disgusted by its appearance._

"_Why it's a Scottie dog!" Her father declares."All alone in the rain. Poor little guy." He releases his grip on the door and slowly advances towards the canine's direction. The Scottie flinches backward a bit, but does not flee._

_Seeming to take this as a sign of invitation, Cremia's father smiles at him welcomingly and kneels upon the sodden ground. "Here Scottie." The friendly man calls to him. "Why don't you come home with us?" He slowly reaches out his hand towards the dog._

_The animal growls upon the movement and snaps at the man's fingers in retaliation. "Whoa boy!" Cremia's father laughs, evading his hand just in time. "Easy! It's okay!"_

_He tries again to reach out towards the dog, and is met with the same violent reaction._

_Cremia, exasperated from the dreary weather and the dog's stubborn behavior, snaps: "Dad! Let's just go! That stupid dog doesn't want to be helped! Let's just leave him and go inside!"_

_Upon this comment, Cremia's father slowly turned towards his daughter, his eyes aglow and his face set in a firm frown._

_Cremia winces, for he only wore that expression when he truly disapproved of something she said or did._

"_Cremia..."He said slowly, in a stern voice, his eyes looking straight into her's. "Come here."_

_Cremia flinches again, but obeys her father, slowly proceeding towards his direction with a nervous heart. When she reaches him, he rises towards her level and firmly places his hands atop of each of her shoulders._

"_Now you listen to me." He tells her slowly in a tone so serious and commanding that it overpowers the sound of the thunder in the background. "Every single living being in this world wants a place where they belong. Every single living being, no matter what they are or how they act towards others, wants to have a home where they are loved. The only reason why Scottie attacked me was because he was afraid of me and didn't know what else to do. Inside, he is not a cruel dog at heart. He is just a lonely, scared dog wishing he can find someplace he will be safe, happy, and loved. Do you understand?"_

_Flabbergasted by his reaction, young Cremia can only nod. _

_The severity from her father's eyes immediately fades, as he immediately breaks into a smile. "Good. Now…" He releases his grip from Cremia and walks back towards the barn. In one swift arc, he slides the front door completely open again and enters the opening. Curious about his intentions, Cremia follows him inside. She watches him proceed towards the equipment room, and stands waiting for him as he hears him rummaging through the numerous items. Within a moment, he remerges with a small wooden box designed like a house. It is a toy Cremia had used to house a pet piglet when she was a small child._

**Authors Note: "An obvious reference to my favorite kid's story Charlotte's Web! :D**

_With its slated roof and its wide body, Cremia immediately perceives what her father plans to do with it. She instinctively leans down and scoops up a handful of hay._

"_Here," she says, as she stands back up and offers the collection of straw out towards him. "This should keep him warm. It worked for Tobi."_

_Cremia's father smiles, walks towards his daughter and accepts the offer. "Ah. Great thinking." He praises her, gently stuffing the hay into the little house. He looks back up at Cremia and gesticulates towards the entrance. "Alright." He says, in a concluding stance. "Let's go back outside."_

_The two do so, and after he slides the door closed completely, Cremia's father lays the toy house against the wall of the barn two feet away from the dog. The dog lifts his head and glances at the box inquisitively, but makes no advancement towards its direction. _

_Cremia's father turns toward Cremia and lightly places a hand on her shoulder. "Alright chickadee." He says. "Time to head inside."_

_Stealing one final glance towards the small dog, who stares back at Cremia with blank eyes, Cremia complies and follows her father inside their cozy home._

_They both early in the morning, and discover the dog nestled inside the house, curled into a ball and fast asleep. _

_Cremia's father chuckles softly and whispers: "Well what do you know…"_

_Cremia giggles upon the sight. With his fur all dried, his cuteness is finally revealed and it warms Cremia's heart._

_Her father turns to her and says: "Cremia, go back to the kitchen, and bring the plate of sausages here. He needs some good food."_

_Cremia willingly obeys, retreating back to the house to carry out his request and arriving with the plate in hand a few minutes later._

"_Thank-you," he whispers, accepting the plate and giving her a grateful pat on the back. He slowly proceeds towards the wooden house and lightly sets the plate a few inches in front of the resting dog. _

"_He's sure going to love that," he whispers, winking at Cremia._

_Indeed, when they return a bit later, the plate is completely cleared. The dog is awake, sniffing around the barn. Cremia's father leaves him more stack of sausages, which are also devoured._

_This routine of care occurs for a few days: Cremia and her father offering the Scottie breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The little dog continues to sleep within the wooden house and grows to enjoy and anticipate their donations. Eventually, he even learns to trust and appreciate them, allowing Cremia and her father to lightly stroke his fur._

_On another day, where the rain pours as heavy as the day of their first encounter, Cremia's father opens the house door while carrying a plate of steak for the dog. Sitting outside in the rain is the Scottie himself, glancing up at the man with happy eyes._

"_Why hello there!" Cremia's father greets him. "Would you like to come in?"_

_The dog cocks his head to the side. To Cremia's delight, her father does the same. "Huh?" He asks, smiling down at the canine._

_Unsure what to do, the dog lowers his head onto the ground._

"_Well, I'll leave the door open for you." Cremia's father tells him. He places the plate of food on the floor near the kitchen table. "This will be here if you want it."_

_He walks towards the table and sits on down next to Cremia. They both slowly sip their evening tea as they pretend to be oblivious to the indecisive dog outside._

_Scottie eyes the two humans, sitting amidst their cozy home of comfort and security. He then rises and slowly steps into his new home…_

Cremia smiles to herself upon the memory. 'How right Dad was…' She thought softly. 'About everything…I wish he were still here…I need him more than ever…' She sighs deeply upon the thought.

She looks down, and releases a startled cry. While she had relived the past, she had automatically continued cooking without realizing it. The thought startles her, as she stares down at the completely cooked pancake, sitting upon a plate, glowing with a perfect golden sheen. In the frying pan lies more pancake batter, beginning to sizzle from the heat.

'Wow…' She gasps. 'Did I just really do all that without even realizing it? Wow…'

"Sis?" Romani calls to her, with a slightly saddened tone.

Cremia immediately snaps her head towards her younger sister's direction. "Yes Romani?" She asks.

Romani's usual smile has disappeared, replaced by a expression she usually wears when she feels upset. Worry immediately consumes Cremia. 'Oh no!' She frets within her mind. 'What is wrong?!'

"I just asked you if you wanted some orange juice…" She said softly, seeming very pained. This crushes Cremia.

"Oh. I'm so sorry!" Cremia sincerely apologizes. "I didn't hear you. Um. No thanks, I would not like some right now. But you are free to of course!"

"Okay," says Romani, smiling weakly. She plops down onto the floor and heads towards the refrigerator. Although she convincingly pretends to have recovered from her previous state of sorrow, Cremia can see the still prevalent wistfulness lingering in the young girl's eyes.

Cremia sighs guiltily, as she flips the fattened pancake onto its other side. 'Why did that one little thing upset her so much?' She ponders silently.

A few minutes later, Cremia is given the opportunity to discover the answer to such a question, at the kitchen table amidst all of their breakfast items and foods.

"Romani…" Cremia begins, trying to conjure the best possible words to say. "I really am sorry….For not hearing you earlier…I wasn't purposely ignoring you."

"Oh I know," Romani assures her, providing another weak smile. "It's just…Well…" Her smile fades as she looks down at her fingers. "W-well…" She stammers. Cremia waits patiently. "I-It just scares me when you…well…when you are like that."

Such words makes breaks Cremia's heart. Cremia then realizes how truly sensitive and innocent Romani truly is.

"I am so sorry Romani," Cremia apologizes, meaning each word with all of her heart. "You see, when I am like that, I am just thinking. That's all."

"What are you thinking about?" Romani asks innocently, reaching towards the carton of orange juice.

Cremia grins at her. "Oh so many things. Don't worry about that, okay?"

"Okay," Romani agrees. "But can you just…try not to think as much? I think you think too much."

Cremia chuckles. She reaches over towards Romani and lightly touches her hand. "I promise I will try my best." Romani gives a small relieved smile.

"Hey," says Cremia, beaming at Romani. "I'd say now's a good time to feed Scottie that first pancake. Would you like to?"

Romani immediately nods her head in approval and giggles.

"Okay," Cremia continues beaming at her. "Here you go." She passes the pancake plate towards Romani, who accepts it slowly and cautiously.

Balancing the dish in her fingers, Romani rises from the table. "Scottie!" She calls adoringly to their pet. He immediately picks up his head. Romani giggles again. "I have something for you!" She holds out the plate of pancakes towards his direction. Upon the sight of food he scrambles clumsily towards her, his tail wagging and his eyes glowing with excitement.

Romani picks up the pancake with her fingers and hoists it high up in the air. "Come get it Scottie!" She playfully challenges him.

Scottie accepts the tempting dare, his eyes darkening in concentration as he takes a few steps backward. After staring intently at his target for a moment, he rushes towards Romani's direction and leaps straight up. "Glomp!" His teeth clench the pancake and gently wrench it free from Romani's hand. Safely landing on the ground, he begins to happily chew his earned treasure. Romani laughs in delight upon it all.

Cremia watches them both, smiling upon the sight. But inside, she is crying, and thinking: 'Shouldn't this itself be enough? Shouldn't it be my own warm home on a stormy night?...Then why? Why oh why am I still feeling sad father? Why?..."

_**Ok I have to admit that I struggled IMMENSELY with this chapter… I am so anxious about how people will feel about it. I hope most will like it at least a little bit… I did work very hard on it. I know it ends sad, and forgive me for that, it just felt to me, like it was the right time to end the chapter… **_

_**Please read and review! **___


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